Second store of Bengal Bistro SUNALI @Honkomagome
SUNALI is an Indian and Bangladeshi restaurant with 3 branch-stores in Tokyo. The main store is in Higashi Ikebukuro, and the Minami Otsuka store is a store called Bengal Bistro SUNALI with a halal supermarket.
And this Honkomagome store is the second store of Bengal Bistro SUNALI.
Bengali Bistro SUNALI Honkomagome Branch
It has over 100 types of Bengal cuisine and world liquor. Unlike the typical Indian restaurants, the interior is neat and has a clean-stylish atmosphere.
Enjoy Bengal local cuisine and world liquor
Vegetarian curry with plenty of vegetables is a popular healthy menu in the store. There are many vegan small plate dishes such as mashed baluta and stir-fried baji. Therefore, there are many female customers and repeaters.
The recommended items are Dry-curry Tehari, Kutch Biryani, and Plows. They are very particular about ingredients. For example, they use chinigra rice (scented rice from Bangladesh) for Beef Tehari.
Aloo Bharta
Beef Tehari set 1,000 yen (lunch menu)
Beef Tehari is a mixed-rice dish, cooked with beef, spice, and chinigra rice.
Melted collagen exudes from the softly boiled beef, which matches very well with rice.
Please try the delicious taste that is different from biryani.
Meat and Fish are cooked with its bones to emerge umami from the ingredients! Also, do not miss rare sweets you can only find in SUNALI.
SUNALI’s owner is Muslim and chef is from Kolkata. According to the owner, Mr. Raman, his hometown Bengal is located in the mouth of the River Ganze and surrounded by very fertile land. So fresh fish and vegetables can be cheaply purchased at the market.
Once fish is purchased, it will be pre-cooked with spices.
SUNALI’s Bengal curry uses bones of both meat and fish.
The meat is shredded with the bones and slowly cooked over time, making the meat soft and bringing condensed umami components to the curry.
2 curry set; Mutton curry (with bone)
2 curry set; fish curry (with bone)
We recommend the curry that uses Bengal’s national fish “Irish” and “Pangash” of the catfish family.
Pangash, a freshwater fish, is plump and has no odor, making it very easy to eat.
There is a liquor menu in the store, but all meals are halal. They also use halal meat, so it is safe for Muslims.
Mutton biryani set 990 yen (lunch menu)
This is “Dahi,” a special Bengal-style yogurt made by SUNARI. Rather than yogurt, it has a rich, smooth taste. SUNARI’s recipe adds spice to Dahi, which enhances the flavor.
“Dahi”
Other traditional Bengal desserts such as Kacha Golla and Shondesh are also available. It seems that local dishes of the Bengal region are reproduced with a focus on the ingredients so that you can feel “Sional Bangla” (Golden Bengal) in each dish.
Sneak into a staff-menu Bengal bistro that is not on the menu
At Bengal Bistro SUNALI, regular customers and staff sometimes eat something like “Makanai” (staff menu) that is not on the menu.
On this day, I tasted the fish soup curry that the owner was eating. The whole sardine and the softly boiled daikon(Japanese radish) was very tasty! The sourness and spices of tomatoes were bringing perfect balance to the curry.
Fish soup curry
I am surprised by the depth of the taste, brought by the variety of spices used in the curry. The shop staff is a little shy but they are all friendly so please feel free to talk to them!
You can also learn about Muslim custom/traditon and Bengal cuisine.
Supervisor / Recommender
- Halal Supervisor and Foreigner Food Coordinator (Cooking, Consulting, Public Relations)
-
Click here for introduction
I currently work as an editor, but my previous job was as a chef, with many years of experience working in hospitals, restaurants, and the food service industry. Looking back, I think my connection to halal may have already been there.
Decades ago, I once worked in a cafeteria at an auction venue. Over 60% of the visitors were foreigners. Many Muslims were present, and the venue had a mosque-like prayer space. I remember being frequently asked questions about whether the meat was halal and what kind of meat it was. At certain times, the cafeteria would become as lively as a festival. The Indian restaurant next door would generously serve free biryani, curry, and sweet drinks to everyone who came. Over 100 people, including people wearing bright red turbans, galabeyas, and traditional attire, gathered in the cafeteria, all sitting around the same table and enjoying a truly enjoyable time. Looking back, it was iftar, the end of fasting, and I understand the significance of sharing, but at the time I was ignorant of halal and Islam, and didn't even consider how to respond. They only ate the curry made by the Indians in the restaurant. As I studied halal, I realized, "I wanted to eat Japanese food, but I couldn't." I regret not doing anything even though there was something I could have done.
If only it didn't contain pork! If only it didn't contain wheat or buckwheat! I could eat it... Food insecurity is different for each person.
That's why I think it's important to learn about the differences in culture, religion, and lifestyle that underlie it, and to create an environment where everyone can enjoy delicious meals in comfort.
The desire for delicious, safe, and secure food is universal. The times are calling for people to live in new ways that transcend borders and religions. I hope that halal can be a gateway to eliminating food insecurity, contributing even in some small way to a society where people can coexist and prosper with more liberal thinking, and to global harmony beyond.
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